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Hiking the Priest Rock and Limekiln Trails in the Sierra Azul on 06-05-20. Before I start, here's a view of the Lexington Reservior from Alma Bridge Road.
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Here's a glance back at my car. It took me about 20 minutes of driving back and forth to find the darn trailhead, so I wanted to take a picture of where I finally parked so it will hopefully be less of an ordeal next time.
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Here's that pesky trailhead, which I passed more times than I care to admit. Incidentally, this was my first-ever hike since getting this camera, so I was a bit more shot-happy than I will probably be in the future.
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Of course, that also means I'm not very good at taking shots yet. I made a bunch of attempts at wildflowers, but this is the only one to end even halfway decent.
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We've gotten some elevation by now. I'm looking across a Lexington inlet back at the road below.
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A better look at the reservoir itself.
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A look at the opposite hillside. Again, I'm not very good at operating the camera yet; it was actually a day with pretty, clear blue skies, but light from the sun is washing out the sky.
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I was intrigued by this hilltop. That's probably a vineyard on the right; the section on the left also looks landscaped, but I have no idea what its purpose is.
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Another shot, this time more clearly showing the line where cultivation begins.
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I have now officially crossed over into the SAOSP. You can see the Santa Clara valley to the upper right. I think this was the first shot where I switched from "Multi Auto Focus" to "Infinity Focus."
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... which may or may not have helped. It seems to make the foreground fuzzier without necessarily making the background much clearer.
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A lot of these trails are service roads which often cross the power lines. It's less scenic than the traditional dirt path, but on balance is a good thing - a lot of these trails probably wouldn't exist otherwise, plus it makes it a lot easier to hike in groups and talk.
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A lot of these trails are service roads which often cross the power lines. It's less scenic than the traditional dirt path, but on balance is a good thing - a lot of these trails probably wouldn't exist otherwise, plus it makes it a lot easier to hike in groups and talk.
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Another attempt at capturing the wildflowers that line the road. I don't know... you can sort of see that they're there, but not much definition.
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A glance at the road ahead, winding along the ridgeline.
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My first attempt at the generational take-a-picture-of-yourself technique. Blech... let's try that again, shall we?
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Hmm... how do I adjust the Dorkiness Level on this camera?
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Ahhh, forget it.
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Depth perception is limited in these pictures. That second stretch of road is rising at about 60 degrees from grade. This was a not uncommon sight along the trail.
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A glance into the valley. Pretty scenic, huh?
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... and a look along a row of hills. Check out that fog in the distance.
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Phew! I have made it to the top! I shall stop and take a picture of the long, steep way I have climbed, and then I shall continue my journey by turning to the left...
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Nooooooooo!
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Nooooooooo!
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Another look at the valley.
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Oooh, look at the fog!
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One of many cyclists who passed me along the hike. These guys are crazy. That ascent is terribly steep.
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Still more fog.
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The road goes ever on and on. I've passed the summit, though, and it will be largely downhill from now.
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I like this shot; again, though, it's a shame my pictures are so bright and washed-out. I'll try to do better next time.
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There's a cool-looking, large estate towards the upper left of this picture. I'm a city boy, but every once in a while I think it'd be cool to live in a remote area like this. It wouldn't, of course. For a week it would feel like a relaxing vacation, and then I would snap and begin fomenting rebellion among the badgers.
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Last shot, down into Soda Springs canyon. My guidebook was wrong; the total trail mileage was around 11 miles and not 6.5. It took me a bit over four hours to hike the whole loop. Net elevation gain was around 2300' with the maximum elevation at 2900'.
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